The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera jamesonii, referred to by the cultivar name `Terhertz`.
`Terhertz` was originated from a hybridization program in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in 1995. The female parent was `Terauto` and the male parent was `Bellezza` (unpatented). The female parent `Terauto` differs from the present invention by its semi-double type and its darker red color. `Terauto` has been available outside Terra Nigra and is applied for protection in the USA (U.S. patent Ser. No. 08/597,650; now abandoned). The new cultivar `Terhertz` has a higher production of flowers compared to its male parent and a more intense red color. The new cultivar was selected by me from the progeny of the stated parentage on or about November 1996. The first asexual reproduction of `Terhertz` was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken on December 1996 in De Kwakel. The new cultivar is presently being propagated by cuttings and tissue culture. Horticultural examination of selected units initiated in 1997 has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for `Terhertz` are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. `Terhertz` has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length. The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in De Kwakel, The Netherlands, under greenhouse conditions which closely approximate those generally used in commercial practice. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of `Terhertz`, which in combination distinguish this Gerbera from its parents and all other varieties of which I am aware:
1. Type: Single. PA0 2. Color of ray floret: Red. PA0 3. Color of disc before opening of disc florets: Purple, R.H.S. 187A. PA0 4. Color of perianth lobe: Dark green, R.H.S. 137A. PA0 5. Diameter of flower head: 115.+-.5 mm.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to me, there is no cultivar similar in comparison to `Terhertz`.